Apparatus for constructing sewers



(No Model.) 2 Sheets Sheet 1.

- U. D. CLARK.

APPARATUS FOR GONSTRUOTING SEWER8.

N0. 392 9. v Patented Nov. 20,1888.

WITNESSES: I mv TOR 05 W M44:

BY A

I I A ATTORNEYS,

N PETERS. Phm-L'nm n mr. Wasmngicm D. C,

(No ModeL) 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 C. D. CLARK.

APPARATUSFOR GONSTRUGTING SEWBRS.

No. 392,989. Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

W'I'TNIIESSES M flak 88804848888 ATTORNEYS.

over a sewer in process of construction.

NITE

PATENT Fries.

APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING SEWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,989, dated November20, 1888.

Application filed January 6, 1888. Serial No. 260,009. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

. Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. CLARK, of Elmira, in the county ofOhemung, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Constructing Sewers, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of, apparatus in which the excavatedearth is hoisted in buckets out of the trench and transported bycarriers traveling on an elevated track and carrying the buckets in asuspended position to the place where the buckets are to be dumped.

The invention consists, first, in a novel construction of the aforesaidelevated track having two rails secured parallel side by side andsuspended from suitable supports above the track; secondly, in a novelconstruction of the carrier traveling on the aforesaid track andprovided with a hoisting-pulley and with a clutch for retaining thehoisting-cable in its raised position; thirdly, in the employment ofatrack terminating in opposite directions from the excavation and meansfor moving the carriers on the said track to and from the excavation;and, fourthly, in novel devices for looking the bucket to the pivotedbail, so as to retain the bucket in its upright positionduring theperiod of raising and transporting the same, all as hereinafter morefully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview of the earth hoisting and transporting apparatus arranged Fig. 2 isa side view of the bucket. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the travelingcarrier. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a verticallongitudinal section on line w m, Fig. 4;

and Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the block by which thetrack-rails are supported and spliced.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

the top of the trench. Upon the top of the trestles A A is secured alongitudinal beam, P, from which is suspended the elevated track T,which terminates in .opposite directions from the excavations. Thistrack I form of two rails, R R, arranged parallel side by side andsupported by blocks B at the ends of the rails and at other points, ifnecessary. The block B is formed with horizontal longitudinal ledges a aat opposite sides and with lugs b 12 between the ledges andperforatedtransversely in relation to the track, and the cen ter of the block isprovided with a vertical eye, a, through which passes the rod 0, bywhich the block is suspended from the beam 1?. The rails R R rideedgewise'on the ledges a a, and are secured to opposite sides of thelugs b b by bolts passing through the rails and through the perforationsof the lugs.

The carrier which travels on the aforesaid track I form of stoutmetallic suspenders D D D D, extending around the outer sides of thetrack-rails and above the same and having pivoted to their upper endsthe grooved wheels F F F F, which are mounted on the track-rails. To thelower ends of the said suspenders are firmly secured the side plates, HH,between which are arranged the jaws e e, which are pivoted in asuspended position to the said plates, and are thus caused to fall bygravity into a closed position, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Inorder to cause the jaws to act more quickly,suitable springs,m m, may bearranged to press against the backs of the jaws. A short distance abovethe plates H H are longitudinal straps j j, secured to the suspenders DD D D. These straps are bent toward each other at each end, so as toadapt them to receive between them either coupling straps or bars K K,bywhich to connect the carrier with companion carriers, as shown, or thedraft-cables p p, by which to move the carrier on the track. Boltspassing transversely through the ends of the straps j j permit of theattachment of either the coupling-bars k or the cables p p. itrepresents a grooved pulley pivoted on the carrier-frame, between thesuspenders D D D D thereof, and preferably to the straps j j, whichreceive from the cable 1) a draft in opposite direction from that inwhich the cable 73 is drawn in the operation of hoisting the bucket,said hoisting-cable running over the pulley h and having one endconnected to a trave1er,V,mounted on the track T,and which in turn isconnected by a draft-cable with a winding-drum,U,which is arranged atone end of the excavation or trench and operated either by steam orother suitable power. The opposite end of the hoistcable 6 passes fromthe pulley it down between the jaws e e and has affixed to it a stop, Z,of the form of a conical block having its apex upward, so as to allow itto enter between the aforesaid jaws from beneath and pry the same apart.The jaws close automatically and retain the stop Z in its raisedposition after it has passed with its base above the gripping orclutching ends of the jaws, as represented in Fig. 5 of the drawings.Thehoisting-cable is provided below the stop 1 with either an eye orhook,by which to connect it to the bucket N.

Between the jaws c e is a cam, f, pivoted to one of the side plates, H,and having its journal extending through said plate and a handlever, g,secured to the outer end of the j ournal to permit of turning the cam,and by the latter operation the jawse 6 can be pried apart to releasethe stop Z, and thus allow the bucket hung on the cabled to descend tothe place where it is to be loaded. Upon arriving thereat the cable canbe detached from the bucket and connected to another bucket previouslyloaded, and then by turning the winding-drum U the loaded bucket israised until the stop Z rises above the jaws e c, and is clampedthereby, so as to retain the cable in its raised position. The loadedbucket is thus suspended from the carrier, and is in this positiontransported to the place where it is to be dumped. The means of movingthe carrier on the track T consist of the draft-cables p 1), extendedfrom the carrier in opposite directions and passing over thecarrying-pulleys a a at opposite ends of the track, and secured to awinding-drum, W, at the same end at which the winding-drum U is located,and preferably driven by the same power. The cables 19 p are wound onthe drum W in such directions that in winding up one cable the other isunwound, and thus by reversing the motion of the drum the earriers canbe run back and forth on the track.

The bail L, by which the bucket is suspended from the hoist-cable 'i, ispivoted to opposite sides of the bucket a suitable distance below thepoint of equilibrium to cause, the bucket to turn automatically into aninverted position; and in order to retain the bucket in its uprightposition there is usually connected to one end of the bail L a latchengaging a catch on the side of the bucket; but this arrangement bringsthe latch so near to the pivot or fulcrum of the bail as to subject thelatch to considerable strain in sustaining the loaded bucket in itsupright position. To obviate this defect, I secure to the bucket astationary bail, I, and pivot to the central portion of the bail L alatch, n, adapted to interlock with the stationary bail.

In order to further facilitate the dumping of the bucket, I employ twolatches, n n, pivoted in reverse positions on the bail L and havingtheir lower or gripping ends crossing each other and coupled together bya pin projecting from theside of one latch through a longitudinal slotin the other latch, so that in operating either latch the other iscompelled to cooperate with it. The manipulating ends of the two latchesextending toward opposite sides of the bucket renders the manipulationof said latches very convenient.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: There is usually a trainof two or more carriers mounted on the track Tand double that number ofbuckets employed, so that one set of buckets can be loaded while theother set is being transported and dumped and returned tobe reloaded.While lowering the buckets to be loaded and raising theloaded bucketsthe draft cables are to remain dormant. After the loaded.

buckets are drawn up until thestops Z of the hoisting-cables becomeclutched between the jaws e c of the carrier, the winding-drum U of thehoist-cable is to be released to allow it to freely revolve and pay outits cable. Then the drum W is to be rotated to cause the draftcable 1)to propel the carriers to the place where the buckets are to be dumped.Then the rotation of the drum V is to be stopped while the attendantoperates the latches n to allow the buckets to tilt, as represented inFig. 1 of the drawings. After they are dumped the attendant restoresthem to their upright positions,and then the drum W is to be revolved inthe direction opposite to that in which it previously moved until thecarriers, with the buckets suspended therefrom, are brought back overthe place where the buckets are to be loaded. The buckets are thenlowered in the manner hereinbefore stated.

Having described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination of the block 13, formed with the ledges a a atopposite sides, the perforated lugs I) 1) between the ledges, and theeye 0 at the center, the rails It R, resting on the ledges a a andbolted to the aforesaid lugs, and the suspension-rod G, passing throughthe central eye, 0, substantially as described and shown.

2. The eombination,with the suspended tworail track, of the carriercomposed of the suspenders D D D D, extending around the outer sides ofthe track-rails and above the same, the wheels F F F F, pivoted to theinner sides of said suspenders, the side plates, H H, secured to thelower ends of the suspenders,the jaws e e, pivoted in a suspendedposition to the inner sides of said side plates, the cam f, pivoted toone of said side plates and having its journal protruding at the outsidethereof, the lever attached to the protruding end of said journal,

the pulley h, pivoted on the carrier-frame, the Elmira, in the county ofOhemung, in the State cable 2', running on the pulley and having its ofNew York, this 18th day of August, 1887. free end passing through thejaws e e, and a stop, Z, secured to the cable, substantially as CHARLESCLARK 5 described and shown. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed JAMES H. OosTELLo,

my name, in the presence of two witnesses, at THEO. G. SMITH.

